Full Service Community Schools

Richmond Health Equity partner West Contra Costa Unified School District is leading the Full Service Community School (FSCS) Subcommittee that will develop a FSCS strategy for WCCUSD schools in Richmond. A community school is both a place and a set of partnerships between the school and other community resources. Its integrated focus on academics, health and social services, youth and community development and community engagement leads to improved student learning, stronger families and healthier communities. By offering access to services, recreation facilities and other resources prioritized by school, residents and other community partners, full service community schools become centers of their communities, welcoming students, their families and local residents.

With support from RHEP partners, the FSCS Subcommittee will engage parent groups, school staff, residents, and community stakeholders in the development of the FSCS strategy. In order to obtain feedback from community partners and residents, a draft FSCS strategy will be presented to the Healthy Richmond Steering Committee. Part of The California Endowment's 10-year Building Healthy Communities initiative, Healthy Richmond supports residents, community leaders and others in Richmond as they employ neighborhood-based strategies to address health care access, violence prevention, youth development, the community environment, health gaps for men and boys of color and more.

The Full Service Community School subcommittee will begin monthly meetings in August 2012. Community Schools ResourcesThe Coalition for Community Schools
The Coalition for Community Schools is an alliance of national, state and local organizations in education K-16, youth development, community planning and development, family support, health and human services, government and philanthropy as well as national, state and local community school networks.

Partnership for Children and Youth Community Schools The Partnership for Children and Youth Community Schools is a Bay Area-based non-profit organization that finds funding, partners and solutions to help schools better serve students, and informs state and national public policy on education issues.

Attendance Works
Attendance Works is a national and state initiative that promotes better policy and practice around school attendance. Attendance Works promotes tracking chronic absence data for each student beginning in kindergarten, or ideally earlier, and partnering with families and community agencies to intervene when poor attendance is a problem for students or schools.

Center for Cities & Schools, UC Berkeley
The Center for Cities & Schools works to promote high quality education as an essential component of urban and metropolitan vitality to create equitable, healthy and sustainable cities and schools for all.

Oakland Unified School District: Community Schools, Thriving Students
Thriving Schools works in partnership with the community to develop students who are thriving academically and socially and are prepared to contribute to democratic society. OUSD believes that community schools are the mechanism that will make this vision a reality. OUSD expects their children to succeed, but the school district believes that it is only by providing the conditions necessary for high-levels of teaching and learning (academic, social and emotional) that we can they achieve this result.